Protecting the One I Loved Most

"What are you talking about, Demiurge? What gives you the right to make such a demand of Lord Ainz?"

Albedo was first taken aback, then anger surged through her. She scolded Demiurge. If this had been Lord Ainz's wish, she wouldn't have said another word.

"What gives me the right to make such a demand?" Demiurge's expression darkened. "You know perfectly well what you did, don't you? As a Floor Guardian, did you do your duty and protect Lord Ainz?"

"Uh..."

"Lord Ainz asked you to stay by his side because he trusted you! But you betrayed that trust! If Lord Ainz hadn't come through this unharmed, even your death wouldn't have been enough to atone for your crime!" Demiurge continued his questioning, and the other Guardians looked stunned.

"Huh? Demiurge, what happened to Lord Ainz?" Shalltear asked.

"What happened to Lord Ainz?" Cocytus, the insectoid, chimed in, his huge mandibles clacking together.

"Did something happen in that village, Demiurge?" Sebas had been by Momonga's side at the time. After thinking it over briefly, he could only conclude that this was what it was about.

After Lord Ainz had decided to come to the village's rescue, the Guardians had stayed on their respective floors to stand guard. Only Albedo, Aura, Mare, and fifteen Eight-Edge Assassin Bugs had accompanied Lord Ainz.

But not long ago, Albedo had informed all the Guardians that they were to gather in the Throne Room. She hadn't said what it was about, though. Sebas had assumed Lord Ainz had returned in triumph from that village.

But it seemed that wasn't the case. Had something happened?

"Huh? What's going on?" Momonga looked at the scene before him in confusion. After thinking it over for a moment, he understood.

Had Albedo never told everyone what happened in Carne Village?

"Ah!!!!"

Momonga was suddenly filled with regret. The jumble of thoughts brought on by his turbulent emotions had made him overlook the most important thing: he should have told Albedo, Aura, and Mare to keep what had happened a secret for the time being.

But at the time, he'd been so agitated that all he could think about was how to explain being killed. The thought had never crossed his mind.

His guild's resurrection point was the Round Table Conference Room, a place almost no one ever visited. That meant no one but Albedo, Aura, and Mare knew he'd been killed.

That would keep the loss of his authority to a minimum. He could speak to the three of them in private and ask them to keep quiet. He could even agree to some unreasonable demands if that was what it took.

Wait...

No, why does Demiurge know? Judging by the way things are going, Albedo hasn't told anyone. Could it have been Aura or... Mare?

Momonga studied the Elf Twins' uneasy expressions, lost in thought.

Albedo's face was pale. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Demiurge was telling the truth: her mistake had led to Lord Ainz being killed. She had noticed the disturbance behind her, but she had still been a step too slow.

Lord Ainz had brought her along because their roles complemented each other. He was a Magic Caster, and it would be troublesome if an enemy got close. Her job was to keep enemies at a certain distance from him.

But she had failed. She already felt deeply ashamed without Demiurge having to scold her, and she had never intended to hide what had happened.

But Lord Ainz hadn't ordered her to tell the Guardians, and she hadn't dared to act on her own.

"Oh my, Gorillabitch, what did you do to make Demiurge so angry? Why don't you tell us all about it?" Shalltear asked Albedo with a cheerful laugh.

Naturally, she was delighted to see her rival for Lord Ainz's affections in trouble. But the next moment, Demiurge cut her off.

"Please mind your words and actions, Shalltear. This is a very serious matter." Demiurge adjusted his glasses and spoke in a grave voice.

"Yes, yes." Shalltear didn't seem bothered by Demiurge's attitude. "All right, back to the point. What exactly did Albedo do to make you propose this to Lord Ainz?"

"Removing Albedo as Floor Guardian Overseer is a serious matter. Please explain your reasons," Cocytus added.

Sebas remained silent. He already had some suspicions, but as long as Lord Ainz said nothing, they were only suspicions.

"Lord Ainz?" Demiurge looked toward Momonga, silently asking if he should put it more tactfully. As far as he was concerned, Albedo was entirely to blame for the incident, and Lord Ainz had done nothing wrong.

Even though Lord Ainz had been killed, that didn't mean this was the limit of his power. The outcome was entirely due to Albedo's mistake.

But he had to consider Lord Ainz's dignity. If Lord Ainz didn't want anyone to know he'd been killed, Demiurge wouldn't reveal it. He would say that Lord Ainz had merely been driven back.

But then Albedo's fault would be greatly diminished, and she might end up escaping punishment altogether. Demiurge didn't want that to happen.

He had no personal grudge against Albedo. He was simply treating this as an official matter, and he believed she was no longer capable of holding such an important position.

Momonga was baffled by the look Demiurge gave him. He didn't know what it meant, but guessed that Demiurge was asking whether he agreed to tell the Guardians what had happened.

It had come to this, so they could only make it public. There was no way to keep it secret now.

"Go ahead, Demiurge," Momonga said.

"Yes, Lord Ainz." Demiurge turned to face the Guardians.

"Lord Ainz, I'm willing to accept any punishment. When the enemy attacked today, I failed to protect you and left you alone to face them. As a result, you were driven back. I accept whatever punishment I deserve."

Just as Demiurge was about to speak, Albedo suddenly leaned forward and knelt before Momonga, loudly explaining what had happened.

As soon as Albedo finished speaking, cries of shock rang out.

"Lord Ainz was driven back?" Shalltear asked in disbelief.

"Someone actually defeated Lord Ainz?" Cocytus was just as incredulous.

"Aura, Mare, what were you doing?" Sebas demanded, looking at the Elf Twins.

"We... we..." Mare stammered, unable to get a word out.

"We fell... we fell into the enemy's trap," Aura answered softly, without much conviction.

While everyone was talking among themselves, Demiurge smiled and fixed his gaze on Albedo. "Are you trying to shirk responsibility?"

"No, I would never do that!" Albedo exclaimed, whipping around to face him.

"Then why are you afraid to tell everyone what really happened?" Demiurge pressed.

"I..." Albedo clenched her teeth and glared at Demiurge.

She knew exactly what his look meant. Lord Ainz might not care about his own dignity, but she couldn't bear to see it disregarded.

Even if it meant defying Lord Ainz's wishes, even if she had to accept whatever punishment came her way, she wanted to protect the one she loved most: Lord Ainz.